Spacer profile for an insulated glazing unit

ABSTRACT

In order to provide a spacer profile for an insulated glazing unit, which profile has a cross-section based on a rectangular shape, is provided with two parallel spaced side walls which, when said insulated glazing unit is assembled, will be placed against the panes of glass to be kept apart from each other, and is further provided with first and second transverse walls which extend between said side walls and of which the first will be adjacent to the edge of the glazing unit and the second will face the space between the panes, with the intention of enabling simple handling of said profile when assembling the spacer frame whilst maintaining a high absorptive capacity for water vapor, it is proposed that said spacer profile comprises a binder matrix and, embedded therein, a particulate adsorbent material for water vapor, and that the binder matrix is permeable to water vapor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/237,239, filed on Sep. 24, 2008, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 11/224,575 filed on Sep. 19, 2005, which is acontinuation of PCT Application No. PCT/EP2004/002649 filed Mar. 13,2004 and claims priority to German Application No. 103 11 830.6 of Mar.14, 2003, each of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety and for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a spacer profile for an insulatedglazing unit, which profile has a cross-section based on a rectangularshape, is provided with two parallel spaced side walls which, when saidinsulated glazing unit is assembled, will be placed against the panes ofglass to be kept apart from each other, and is further provided withfirst and second transverse walls which extend between said side wallsand of which the first will be adjacent to the edge of the glazing unitand the second will face the space between the panes. By the use ofsealants, the space formed between the panes of glass is sealed from theedge of each pane, and the use of a desiccant ensures that said space iskept dry and thus remains free from fogging.

Spacer profiles are frequently used in the form of hollow profiles ofmetal (stainless steel or aluminum). The profile has two parallel sidewalls, against which the panes of glass will bear and two transversewalls extending between the side walls in the form of legs, which aresubstantially at right angles to the side walls of the hollow profileand join them together.

With regard to their bonding strength relative to conventionallyemployed sealants and their impermeability to the water vaporpenetrating from outside into the space between the panes, they meet thedemands, but the heat flow near the edges of the panes is excessive onaccount of the metallic materials used. Even when the space between thepanes is filled with a noble gas, such as xenon or krypton, a seriousdrop in the insulating value, especially in the marginal regions, isobserved.

Improvement as regards thermal insulation in the marginal areas ofinsulated glazing units has been achieved by the proposals made in DE-A33 02 659, DE-A 127 739, EP-A 0 430 889, EP-A 0 601 488, DE-A 198 05348, DE-U 298 147 68 and DE-A 198 07 454, which make use of plasticsmaterial instead of metallic materials and in some cases use metallicvapor barrier films or metallic reinforcing elements in the side wallsand legs and embed the same in the plastics material.

Just as with spacer profiles of metal, spacer profiles of plasticsmaterial must still be filled with necessary desiccants when assemblinga spacer frame, in order to lower the tendency of the insulated glazingunit to fog.

Depending on the air humidity conditions during filling, the dryingagents take up more or less large quantities of water vapor from theproduction environment while the spacer frame is being filled and arethus incorporated in the final sealed insulated glazing unit with only afraction of their capacity to bind water vapor for drying, or keepingdry, the space between the panes.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a spacer profile forinsulated glazing units which is simple to handle when the spacer frameis being assembled whilst a higher absorption capacity for water vaporis retained by simple means.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This object is achieved for the above spacer profile according to theinvention in that the spacer profile comprises a binder matrix and,embedded therein, particulate water vapor adsorbent material, and inthat the binder matrix is permeable to water vapor.

Due to the fact that the particulate adsorbent material is embedded in abinder matrix which is permeable to water vapor, the direct access ofwater vapor present in the production environment to the particulateadsorbent material is, on the one hand, hindered, since the adsorptionrate is governed by the water-vapor permeability, ie the rate at whichwater vapor passes through the binder matrix to reach the particles ofadsorbent material, and is thus considerably slower and consequentlyless than when water vapor has free access to the particulate adsorbentmaterials, as is conventionally the case.

Surprisingly, however, the water-vapor permeability of the binder matrixis fully adequate to allow water vapor to penetrate through to theparticulate adsorbent material and thus to effect adequate drying of thespace between the panes. Since the particulate adsorbent material canadsorb only small quantities of water vapor during the manufacturingprocess due to the fact that the particles are screened by the bindermatrix surrounding them, a distinctly higher adsorption capacity isavailable in the finished insulated glazing unit for the space betweenthe panes so that ultimately smaller quantities of adsorbent material,based on the volume of the space between the panes, can be used. Sincethe adsorbent materials are relatively expensive, they are used here ina more economical manner and the production of the spacer frame involvesless cost.

At the same time the adsorbent materials used in the spacer profiles ofthe invention are still sufficiently available for the adsorption ofwater vapor coming from outside.

Furthermore, the adsorbent material in the spacer profile of theinvention may also bind outgassing solvents, plasticizers, or the like.

Furthermore, it is usually not necessary to handle bulk desiccants whenmaking spacer frames using the spacer profiles of the invention.

Particularly preferred particulate adsorbent materials are selected fromthe group consisting of silica gels and/or aluminosilicates oralumosilicates, ie, in particular, natural or synthetic zeolites,molecular sieves, and the like.

The particulate adsorbent materials preferably exhibit a pore structurehaving pore sizes in the range of from 2 to 25 angstrom units and morepreferably in the range of from 2 to 10 angstrom units.

The shape and size of the particles of adsorbent material is not ofprime importance for the success of the present invention, since thetime which is available for full adsorption of the content of watervapor in the space between the panes is adequate to allow even slowmechanisms of transportation toward the adsorptive particles to becomeeffective. The use of as large a surface area of the particulateadsorbent materials as possible can achieve quicker drying, so that in apreferred embodiment of the spacer profile the adsorbent material isused, ie embedded in the matrix, in powdered form.

On the other hand, considering the above factors, it is most certainlyconceivable to use particulate adsorbent materials having particle sizesin the range of up to 6 mm, and the size of the particle is in fact onlylimited by the dimensions of the spacer profile itself.

Preferred particle sizes are on average in the range of from 0.1 to 5mm. The lower limit ensures that no problems can arise with dust-likeparticles during production, ie when using the adsorbent materials,whilst the upper limit ensures that there is still adequate packingdensity in the binder matrix to achieve an appropriately largeadsorption capacity for water vapor.

Since the diffusion processes in the adsorbent materials, ie in theadsorbent particles, can, by reason of their pore structure, take placemuch faster than the diffusion processes in the binder matrix itself,the particle size is in a great number of combinations of materials ofvirtually no significance with respect to the speed of the process ofdrying the volume of air present in the space between the panes, so thatthe aforementioned advantages of coarse-grained adsorbent materials overthe powdered form can be decisive.

The long-term drying effect of the adsorbent materials, which is ofprime importance for the invention, is thus achieved more or lessindependently of the size and shape of the adsorbent particles so thatin this respect the selection can be freely made in accordance withother factors.

The long-term effect is in the last resort dependent on there being anadequate adsorptive capacity for the specific volume of the spacebetween the panes and the humidity of the air present therein. Thisadsorptive capacity is determined, on the one hand, by the amount ofadsorbent material in the total mass of the spacer profile and, on theother hand and to a decisive extent however, by the degree of drynesspossessed by the adsorbent materials when the insulated glazing unit ishermetically sealed with sealing material after insertion of the spacerframe.

The amount of particulate adsorbent material present in the total massof the spacer profile is preferably from 15 to 85 wt % and morepreferably from 30 to 65 wt %.

More preferably, use is made of a minimum amount of 40 wt %, and evenmore preferably 50 wt %, since this provides a high reserve, adequatefor water vapor adsorption even in the case of very large volumes of theair space in the insulated glazing unit.

In order to achieve a quick initial drying action, the concentration ofthe adsorbent material in the profile may be lower near the side wallsthan in the regions of the first and second transverse walls. By thismeans more adsorbent material is available where there are shortdiffusion paths through the binder matrix.

The binding agents to be used in the present invention are preferablyselected from the group consisting of organic and/or inorganic bindingagents, examples of organic binding agents being in particularwater-soluble cellulose, thermoplastic materials, and particularlypolyamide, while examples of inorganic binding agents are polysiliconcompounds.

The rate of water vapor diffusion can be influenced as desired byselecting specific materials for the binder matrix. This allows foradaptation of the spacer profiles of the invention to certainrequirements as arise from the type of method used for manufacturing theinsulated glazing units. If it is necessary, for example, for the spacerprofiles to be supplied to the manufacturer of insulated glazing withthe adsorbent materials already in a pre-dried state, then it will bepreferred to use a binder material, such as polypropylene, in whichwater vapor diffusion proceeds rather slowly, so as to avoid the spacerprofile from adsorbing a noticeable amount of water vapor duringtransportation, as would considerably reduce the remaining adsorptivecapacity. Surprisingly, low diffusion rates are fully capable ofachieving the desired drying effect. Since the adsorbent materials inbinding agents showing low diffusion rates are protected from prematurewater adsorption, amounts of adsorbent material of up to 40 wt % willoften suffice to give a satisfactory drying effect over a period of manyyears. If, for example, polypropylene is used as the material of thebinder matrix, amounts of adsorbent material as low as from 20 to 30 wt%, based on the mass of the finished spacer profile, can give completelysatisfactory results.

The process of water vapor diffusion into the binder materials can bedescribed by the so-called coefficient of permeation (DIN 53122), which,for example, is in the range of from 70 to 100 g·μm/m²·d forpolypropylene and from 2000 to 3000 g·μm/m²·d for PA6, as measured, ineach case, at 25° C.

Materials having coefficients of permeation for water vapor at 25° C. ofup to ca 500 g·μm/m²·d may be regarded, within the scope of the presentinvention, as being materials having low diffusion rates, which on theone hand give a spacer for which the manufacturing, storage andtransportation conditions are less critical and for which, on the otherhand, the content of adsorbent material in the binder matrix can bereduced.

Another possibility is, of course, to supply the spacer profiles to themanufacturer of insulated glazing units in a dried state packed inmoisture-impermeable films, in which case the selection of the materialsfor the binder matrix can be made irrespective of the aforementionedfactors.

If, on the other hand, a manufacturer of insulated glazing units hasfacilities for drying the spacer profiles virtually just before they areassembled to insulated glazing units, for example by means of amicrowave oven, one will tend to use a material for the binder matrixwhich shows a relatively high rate of water vapor diffusion, becausethis accelerates the drying process and, in addition, the spacerprofiles used in the insulated glazing units can then relatively rapidlyadsorb the moisture in the air present in the space between the panes.

In a preferred embodiment the binding agent is used in expanded form,which on the one hand reduces the weight of the spacer profiles and, onthe other hand, saves binder material, of course, and also allows fasteraccess, ie quicker diffusion, of the water vapor present in the spacebetween the panes to the adsorbent materials. The diffusion process iseven more accelerated when the expanded structure is an open-poreexpanded structure.

In addition to the main constituents binding agent and particulateadsorbent material, the material of the spacer profiles preferably alsocontains fillers and/or reinforcing agents and/or pigments, which serveto further improve the individual properties of the spacer profiles.

The fillers and reinforcing materials can improve the compressivestrength of the materials of the spacer profile, the reinforcingmaterials provide higher moduli of elasticity, and the pigments make itpossible to optically match the spacer profiles to the components thatwill be near to the spacer profiles when the insulated glazing units orwall panels are assembled.

Examples of said fillers and reinforcing agents and pigments arenanoparticles, particularly montmorillonites, liquid crystal polymers,glass fibers, carbon fibers, aramide fibers, metal fibers and/or naturalfibers in the form of short, long and/or continuous fibers, micaparticles, titanium(IV) oxide, wollastonite, hollow spheres of glass,metal powder, and the like.

As mentioned above, the binder material of the spacer profile isnecessarily permeable to water vapor. A finished insulated glazing unitis sealed at its edge with a conventional sealing material such aspolyurethane or the like. In the case of noble gas-filled insulatedglazing units it is preferred also to provide an inert gas barrierlayer, in order to suppress diffusion of the noble gas out of the spacebetween the panes.

Another safeguard against the penetration of water vapor into the spacebetween the panes, particularly with aging of the sealing material, isachieved by providing a water vapor barrier layer adjacent to theperipheral first transverse wall of the spacer profile. More preferably,the vapor barrier layer also extends into the side walls of the spacerprofile bearing against the panes of glass. The same applies to theinert gas barrier layer.

The vapor barrier layer and optionally the inert gas barrier layer maybe applied to the outside of the spacer profile or, alternatively andmore preferably, embedded in the material of the spacer profile, whichlatter measure avoids the barrier layer(s) being mechanically damagedwhile handling the spacer profiles.

If the mechanical stability of the spacer profiles, particularly theirflexural rigidity, is insufficient for existing typical processingplants for the production of spacer profile frames, reinforcing elementscan, according to a further aspect of the invention, be inserted intothe spacer profile for stiffening same, such elements being particularlyin the form of strips, angle sections, wires, fiber bundles, nets andfilms of metal or a composite fiber-plastics material.

Nothing has been said, as yet, concerning the detailed geometry of thespacer profiles. The spacer profiles of the invention can be designedeither as solid profiles or as hollow chamber profiles, and in thelatter case one or more hollow chambers extending continuously in thelongitudinal direction are provided and/or a plurality of ductsextending continuously in the longitudinal direction are distributedacross the cross-section of the profile.

The hollow chambers in the spacer profile improve the insulatingefficiency of the spacer profile and at the same time save material andthus make the spacer profile lighter in weight. Preferably, the hollowchambers exhibit passages providing, in the assembled state, directcommunication, through the second transverse wall, between the spacebetween the panes and the spaces in the hollow chambers. This furtheraccelerates the adsorption process for water vapor, since the surfaceover which the water vapor can diffuse into the material of the spacerprofile is of a distinctly larger area. For this purpose provision maybe made for a large number of small-volume ducts to form the hollowchambers, said ducts being of relatively small cross-section.Alternatively, provision can be made for several voluminous chambershaving a large free cross-section to be present or alternatively forseveral voluminous chambers to be formed which are encased by side wallsin which, in turn, small-volume ducts are disposed in uniformdistribution. This affords maximization of the surface area availablefor diffusion of water vapor and at the same time minimization of thematerial necessary for forming the spacer, accompanied by a distinctimprovement in the thermal resistance of these spacer profiles.

In order to facilitate the production of spacer profile frames from thespacer profiles of the invention and to adapt, in particular, suchproduction so as to approach the manufacturing technology hitherto usedfor metallic spacers, provision may be made for the spacer profiles ofthe invention to be encased entirely or in certain regions by a metallayer.

Alternatively, there is the possibility, from a different point of view,of providing an encasement of plastics material over part or all of thespacer if use is made of a plastics material which shows distinctlylower water vapor permeability than the binding agent used in thepresent invention to form the matrix of the spacer.

In this case the vapor barrier effect discussed above may then possiblybe assumed by the encasement layer so that it is no longer necessary toprovide such spacers with a separate vapor barrier layer. This alsoapplies, in particular, to those spacer profiles of the invention whichare encased by a metal layer. In the case of complete encasement of thespacer profiles, it will, of course, be necessary to provide passagesthrough the encasement in the second transverse wall of the spacerprofile facing the space between the panes so that any vapor present inthis space between the panes can pass through to the vapor-permeablematerial of the binder matrix and thus be adsorbed and bound by theparticulate adsorbent material.

In order to provide another possibility of adaptation of the dryingcapacity of the spacer profile of the invention, provision may be madefor the hollow profile to be completely or partially filled with aseparate bulk desiccant, ie a separate adsorbent material for watervapor. By this means a standard spacer profile can be used to adapt thecapacity to bind water vapor to the different requirements in a simplemanner, for example to the climatic zone in which the production of thespacer frame is carried out or to various volumes of the space betweenthe panes.

Preferably, a region of the surface of the spacer profiles of theinvention is treated or machined or provided with a surface structure,for example by roughening or etching. By this means particles ofadsorbent material at the surface of the spacer will be uncovered, atleast partially, so as to have a positive influence on the water vaporadsorption kinetics.

The present invention also relates to a spacer frame which has beenproduced from frame parts consisting of the spacer profile of theinvention or parts thereof.

Such spacer frames can be produced, for example, by cutting to lengththe spacer profile of the invention and joining the resulting lengths inthe corner regions, for example by means of adhesive or by welding.

Alternatively, the use of corner joiners is possible, these being in theform of pin-and-socket connectors, for example, which then connect thetwo adjacent lengths of spacer profile by means of adhesion, form-fitand/or friction lock. It is equally possible to make straight joiners,by means of which the frame ends can be joined together.

Alternatively, the spacer profiles may be processed in the form ofcontinuous material to produce said frame, in which case the cornerregions of the frame will be produced by heating the spacer profile.Heating can be achieved by using radiant heat, contact heat, or hot air,or by induction heating or resistance heating. Preferably, this methodis carried out on hollow profiles, since in such cases buckling in thecorner regions is reduced.

Preferred spacer profiles have guiding means in the surfaces of theprofiles forming the outer surface, ie the first transverse wall, whichguiding means may be, for example, in the form of a dovetail groove intowhich the corner joiners can be simply inserted. The same applies to theaforementioned straight joiners.

On the other hand, separate corner joiners and straight joiners can beproduced in the form of corner elements or straight joiner elements byinjection molding, transfer molding, compression molding, plungermolding, or the like, in which case material can be used as has beenemployed for the production of the spacer profiles themselves. To thesecorner joiners and/or straight joiners there are then mounted orconnected straight pieces of spacer profile so as to produce an overallclosed spacer frame.

The invention also relates to a process for the production of the spacerprofile of the invention, in which a composition comprising a bindingagent, a particulate adsorbent material for water vapor, and aprocessing agent is shaped to a profile and the processing agent is thencompletely or partially expelled from the shaped profile.

Preferably used processing agents are waxes, particularly polyethylenewaxes, since these can be expelled at temperatures at which a largenumber of binding agents, particularly the binding agents defined above,are still thermally stable.

The proportion of processing agents in the composition used for shapingis preferably up to 35 wt %. The composition used for shaping ispreferably premixed and optionally previously compounded before it isintroduced into the shaping machine. Quantities of only a few percent byweight frequently yield good results.

Suitable shaping methods are extrusion, injection molding, transfermolding, compression molding, pultrusion, and plunger molding.

The process of the invention for manufacturing the spacer profile of theinvention preferably makes use of a binder matrix that can becrosslinked after shaping. The crosslinking reaction can preferably takeplace at the same time as the expulsion of the processing agent, andthis may be accompanied by concurrent drying. The drying processconditions the particulate adsorbent material distributed in the bindermatrix, that is to say, it maximizes its ability to take up water vaporor, in other words, its water vapor adsorption capacity.

Surprisingly, it has been found that when use is made of organic bindingagents, the tempering step required for the expulsion of the processingagent, which can take place, for example, at 200° C., increases thecompressive strength of the profile to a marked degree on account ofcrosslinking mechanisms in the matrix.

These and other advantages of the invention are illustrated in greaterdetail below with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is part of a sectional view of the edge region of an insulatedglazing unit produced with a spacer profile of the invention; and

FIGS. 2 to 15 show further variants of a spacer profile of the inventionin cross-section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows part of a sectional view of an insulated glazing unitdesignated, as a whole, by the reference numeral 10 and comprising twopanes of glass 11, 12 which are held in parallel relationship at aspecified distance from each other by means of a spacer profile 14. Thecross-section of the spacer profile 14 is substantially based on arectangle and the side walls 16, 17 of the spacer bear against the panesof glass 11, 12. Connection of the side walls 16, 17 to the respectivepane of glass 11 or 12 is achieved by an adhesive layer 18, 19.

Between the side walls 16, 17 there extends a first transverse wall 20and a second transverse wall 22, and these and the side walls 16, 17substantially define the cross-section of the profile.

When the spacer profile 14 is installed in the insulated glazing unit,the transverse wall 20 is positioned at the outer edge of the insulatedglazing unit 10 and is angular at its ends so as to give chamfered areas24, 25.

Once the spacer 14 has been placed between the two panes of glass 11 and12, the edge of the insulated glazing unit 10 is then additionallycoated, over its entire surface between the two panes of glass 11 and12, with a sealing compound 26 and, if the water vapor blocking actionof the sealing layer 26 is still inadequate due to the material used, anadditional water vapor barrier layer or optionally, if the space betweenthe two panes of glass 11 and 12 is filled with a noble gas, an inertgas barrier layer is provided (the two barrier layers are not shown).

The spacer profile 14 consists of a binder material, for examplepolyamide 6.6 in an amount of, say, 50 wt % and a particulate adsorbentmaterial 29 (represented diagrammatically by dots) embedded in thebinder matrix 28. The particulate adsorbent material 29 is used here inthe form of spherical zeolite, such as has already been employed inconventional insulated glazing units. Alternatively, silica gels orother particulate adsorbent materials might be used if desired. A numberof well suited adsorbent materials are sold by Grace Davison under thetrade name Phonosorb.

Various exemplary recipes are given below which can be used for theproduction of the spacer profiles of the invention.

Modulus of Zeolite 3A Polymer Wax elasticity (Phonosorb (polyamide(polyolefin N/mm² Sample 551) 6.6) wax) (DIN 53457) 1 30 wt % 56 wt % 14wt % 3000 2 50 wt % 40 wt % 10 wt % 4400 3 65 wt % 28 wt %  7 wt % 7000

The wax content (polyolefin wax Licomont EK 583 sold by Ciba) isexpelled at ca 220° C. after the spacer profiles have been extruded. Atthis temperature the polyamide 6.6 used as binder matrix remainssufficiently thermally stable.

The compressive strength of Sample 1 is, directly following extrusion,ie as long as it still contains the wax acting as processing agent, 35N/mm², whilst that of Sample 3 is 90 N/mm². The test was carried out asspecified in DIN 53454.

The aforementioned thermal aftertreatment, by means of which the wax isat least partially expelled (treatment time ca 24 h) achieves anincrease in the compressive strength of all samples by ca 15 to 20%.

Processing of the blends designated as Samples 1 to 3 can be readilyperformed on commercial extruders, or alternatively on injection moldingmachines, etc. The blend components may be premixed in a foregoingmixing process and then passed to the shaping machine. Alternatively, itis possible to compound the individual components and then to processthe compounded material to form a spacer profile 14 in the shapingmachine.

If the shaping machine possesses appropriate functionality, there is thefurther possibility of feeding the individual components, namely bindingagent (polyamide 6.6), adsorbent material (zeolite) and the processingagent (polyethylene wax) directly to the shaping machine and thenmolding them to form the product, ie the spacer profile.

If the binding agent used is water-soluble methyl cellulose, it isfrequently recommended to process it in admixture with a mineral bindingagent based on silane.

When using a combination of zeolite as adsorbent material and methylcellulose and mineral silane binder (methylsiloxane ether) as bindermaterial it is always preferred to carry out compounding in a first stepat a low temperature (ca 25° C.) and then to effect shaping (byextrusion, injection molding, etc.) likewise at a low temperature (ca25° C.) so as to produce the desired spacer profile. The processingagent used can again be a polyolefin wax, particularly polyethylene wax.

Both in the compounding process and in the subsequent shaping processcare must be taken to ensure, by selecting appropriate screws andcylinders and suitably cooling the die, that the processed mixture doesnot become crosslinked or is at most subjected to only slightprecrosslinking.

On conclusion of the shaping process, ie when extrusion of the spacerprofiles is complete, the product is maintained at temperatures of, say,from 200° to 210° C., at which temperatures crosslinking proper takesplace while the water present and at least a proportion of theprocessing agent used are expelled.

One alternative to the aforementioned polyamide as the material forforming the binder matrix is polypropylene. By reason of thesubstantially lower co-efficients of permeation of water vapor inpolypropylene compared with polyamide, the storage conditions are lesscritical and the amount of adsorbent material required can be reduced.An amount of, say, 25 wt % can be entirely adequate for panes of glassspaced at a distance of from 14 to 16 mm and having an area of ca 1 m².

FIG. 2 and FIGS. 3 to 15 described below show alternative embodiments ofthe spacer profile of the invention, their cross-section being in eachcase shown only as a simple rectangular shape for the sake ofsimplicity.

Of course, the cross-sectional shape may be varied and have, forexample, the form indicated by the periphery of the spacer profile 14illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 illustrates a spacer profile 30, in cross-section, which has sidewalls 32, 33 and first and second transverse walls 34 and 35respectively.

The composition of the material from which the spacer profile is shapedcontains, like the spacer profile 14 shown in FIG. 1, a binder matrix inwhich there is again embedded a particulate adsorbent material.

In contrast to the solid construction of the spacer profile 14 of FIG.1, the spacer profile 30 of FIG. 2 has a large number of ducts 36distributed regularly across its cross-section. The ducts 36 aregas-filled, for example with air, and improve the insulating efficiencyof the spacer profile 30 compared with the insulating efficiencyobserved on the spacer profile 14, since the heat conductivity of thegas in the ducts 36 is distinctly lower than that of the ambient matrixmaterial with the embedded adsorbent material.

As in the case of the spacer profile 14, the drying process for themoisture present in the space between the panes and/or for solvents orplasticizers present therein takes place in that these materials diffusethrough the binder matrix to reach the adsorbent materials embedded inthe binder matrix where they are then bound.

The ducts 36 of the spacer profile 30 are shown in FIG. 2 as beingrectangular in cross-section. Of course, the ducts 36 can,theoretically, be of any desired cross-sectional shape, ie polygonal,spherical, oval or mixed forms of such cross-sectional shapes.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of a spacer profile 40 of the invention,which is in the form of a so-called hollow chamber profile having twovoluminous hollow chambers 42, 43. The hollow chambers 42, 43 improvethe thermal resistance of the spacer profile 40. In addition, as shownin FIG. 3, a central partition wall 46 can now be formed between theside walls 44, 45 enclosing the two hollow chambers 42, 43, and ducts 50of small volume can be formed within the transverse walls 48, 49, theseducts corresponding to the ducts 36 of the profile 30 of FIG. 2. Onlyfor purposes of illustration are the ducts shown here as having arhombic cross-section, but spacer profile 40 of FIG. 3 is not confinedthereto. Here again, other polygonal duct cross-sections could be usedor alternatively spherical or oval or mixed forms of these shapes.

The use of such ducts 50 in its cross-section further improves thethermal resistance of the spacer profile 40.

The arrangement of ducts 50 and hollow chambers 42, 43 not only improvesthe thermal resistance of the profile but also creates additionalsurfaces via which the water vapor, solvent, plasticizer etc. candiffuse into the material of the binder matrix to reach the adsorbentmaterials where they are then bound. This advantage is already attainedusing the multi-duct system in spacer profile 30 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows another alternative embodiment of a spacer profile 54,which is in the form of a hollow chamber profile and has four parallelhollow chambers 56, 57, 58, 59. These hollow chambers are surrounded byside walls 60, 61 and transverse walls 62, 63 and are also separatedfrom each other by means of partition walls 64, 65, 66.

The transverse wall 62 represents the first transverse wall and, whenthe insulated glazing unit is assembled, this wall is disposed at theedge of the insulated glazing unit. Accordingly, the transverse wall 63is that which faces the space between the panes and has passages 67, 68,69, 70 distributed at regular intervals across the longitudinaldirection of the profile 54, which passages allow direct communicationbetween the gas present in the hollow chambers 56, 57, 58, 59 and thegas present in the space between the panes so that the diffusionprocesses required for drying are accelerated into the hollow chambervolumes of the hollow chambers 56, 57, 58, 59 and thus make the overalldrying process more efficient.

In FIG. 4 there are provided facultative ducts 72 in the side walls 60,61, the transverse walls 62, 63 and the partition walls 64, 65, 66,which ducts effect, on the one hand, further improvement in theinsulating efficiency of the profile 54 and, on the other hand,additionally improve the drying efficiency of the insulating profile,ie, of the adsorbent material present therein, and also increase thelongitudinal stiffness of the spacer.

FIG. 5 shows a spacer profile generally designated by the referencenumeral 80, which is in the form of a hollow chamber profile having ahollow chamber 82 surrounded by side walls 84, 85 and transverse walls86, 87. Here again, ducts 88 are provided in the side walls 84, 85 andthe transverse walls 86, 87, which ducts may have some other geometricalcross-section than that shown, as previously mentioned a number oftimes. In other respects the side walls 84, 85 and the transverse walls86, 87 are composed of a binder matrix containing a particulateadsorbent material, for information on which reference is made to theprevious embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a modified embodiment of FIG. 5 comprising a spacerprofile 90 in the form of a hollow profile having a hollow chamber 92.The hollow chamber 92 is surrounded by side walls 94, 95 and transversewalls 96, 97, and the transverse wall 96 faces the space between thepanes when the spacer profile is installed in the insulated glazing unitand thus represents the second transverse wall, whilst the transversewall 97 is positioned at the outer edge of the insulated glazing unitand therefore represents the first transverse wall.

The side walls 94, 95 and also 96, 97 contain a large number of ducts 98regularly distributed across the cross-section of the spacer.

The material of which the side walls and transverse walls 94, 95, 96, 97are formed is again a binder matrix, in which an adsorbent material forwater vapor is embedded.

Compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the spacer profile 90differs not only in that the ducts 98 have a rectangular cross-sectionwhereas the ducts 88 show a round cross-section but also in that thechamber 92 directly communicates with the space between the panes viapassages 100. As already explained with reference to FIG. 4, thepassages 100 facilitate gas transfer and particularly assist thediffusion of vapor into the chamber 92 so that faster desiccation can beachieved in this case.

The vapor capacity of chamber 92 as well as that of the ducts 98 againserves to save material on the one hand and to improve the insulatingefficiency of the spacer profile on the other hand. Furthermore, thelarger surface area through which water vapor can diffuse into thematerial of the binder matrix makes further acceleration of theadsorption process possible.

Finally, FIG. 6 illustrates a particular feature to the effect thatbesides the first transverse wall 97 there is disposed a vapor barrier102 (diagrammatically indicated by a dot-dash line), which canadditionally function as an inert gas barrier layer or can be combinedwith a separate inert gas barrier layer. Such an inert gas barrier layeris recommended in cases where the space between the panes of aninsulated glazing unit produced with the aid of the spacer profile 90 isfilled with noble gas, in order to prevent the noble gas from escapingfrom the space between the panes during the years of use of theinsulated glazing unit, which would diminish the insulating efficiency.

FIG. 7 shows another modification of the embodiment of FIG. 5 in theform of a spacer profile 110, which is likewise a hollow profile havinga chamber 112 surrounded by side walls 114, 115 and transverse walls116, 117. In the side walls 114, 115 and also in the transverse walls116, 117 there are provided ducts 118, which serve the same purpose asthe ducts 88 in the spacer profile 80 of FIG. 5.

The spacer profile of FIG. 7 is additionally provided with a vaporbarrier layer 120 (shown diagrammatically as a dot-dash line) on thefirst transverse wall 117 and also on the side walls 114, 115, suchbarrier layers serving to prevent moisture present in the ambient airfrom diffusing into the interior of the insulated glazing unit. Aspreviously explained in connection with FIG. 6, the vapor barrier layercan be combined with an inert gas barrier layer in cases where spacerprofile 110 is used for the production of noble gas-filled insulatedglazing units.

FIG. 8 shows a variant of the spacer profile of FIG. 7 in the form of aspacer profile 130, which is again in the form of a hollow profilehaving a chamber 132 surrounded by side walls 134, 135 and transversewalls 136, 137. In the side walls 134, 135 and transverse walls 136, 137there are provided ducts 138 in regular distribution, which ducts can,of course, have some other cross-section than the round cross-sectionshown, as often pointed out above.

Unlike the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the spacer profile 130 of FIG. 8has a vapor barrier 140, which is in this case embedded in thetransverse wall 137 and in the side walls 134, 135 and is thus wellprotected from mechanical damage. Attention may be called to the factthat the dimensions in all of the Figures and, in particular, thedimensions in FIG. 8 and, in particular, the arrangement of the vaporbarrier layer 140 and its distance from the outer surfaces of side walls134, 135 and from the first transverse wall 137 are only illustrateddiagrammatically and said layer can, of course, be much nearer to thevarious wall surfaces. Neither is it absolutely necessary for ducts 138to be provided between the vapor barrier layer 140 and the outer surfaceof the respective wall. On the contrary, the ducts may all be in theregion protected by the vapor barrier layer 140.

FIG. 9 illustrates another variant of the spacer profile of theinvention and shows a spacer profile 150 which is in the form of a solidbody surrounded on virtually all sides by an encasement 152. Encasement152 has passages 156 only in transverse wall 154 facing the spacebetween the panes, through which passages water vapor diffuses from thespace between the panes to a core 158 of profile 150 consisting of abinder matrix material and particles of adsorbent material embeddedtherein.

If encasement 152 consists of a metal sheet or a metal foil, it isgenerally unnecessary to provide an additional vapor barrier layer.Instead of an encasement 152 of metal use can be made of one of plasticsmaterial, particularly an encasement of composite material, which mayhave similar properties. In all cases encasement 152 can be used for thepurpose of increasing the longitudinal stiffness of spacer profile 150so that the sag of spacer profile 150 is less than in the case of, forexample, spacer profile 14 shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 shows a modified embodiment of a spacer profile 160, in whichducts 164 pass right through core 162 consisting of a binder matrixmaterial including embedded particles of adsorbent material. Core 162 ofspacer profile 160 is surrounded on its side walls 166, 167 and itsfirst transverse wall 168 by an encasement 170 which, when installed inthe glazing unit, leaves a second transverse wall 172 of core 160 freelyexposed to the space between the panes.

Thus the entire surface of transverse wall 172 is available for thediffusion process allowing water vapor to diffuse into core 160.

At the same time, the stiffening of profile 160 caused by encasement 170is frequently quite sufficient to make spacer profile 160 suitable forprocessing in conventional devices for processing metal spacers.

The heat flow through side walls 166, 167 via 168 can be diminished byproviding slits in the encasement 170 preferably near the edges of thespacer profile.

Similarly, a spacer profile 180 as illustrated in FIG. 11 has a core 182that is surrounded on substantially three-sides by an encasement 184,ie, the latter encloses the side walls 186, 187 and a transverse wall188. The core 182 is again in the form of a hollow profile having achamber 190 which communicates through passages 192 with the spacebetween the panes.

In side walls 186, 187, transverse wall 188, and the other transversewall 194, there are provided ducts 196 having the same function asdescribed above for the previous embodiments.

In the interior of chamber 190 there are disposed additional amounts ofdesiccant in bulk form (particles 198), and the capacity of hollowchamber 190 determines the additional desiccating effect that can beachieved with this spacer profile 180.

The encasement around the profile 180 shown in Fig.11 differs fromencasement 170 around profile 160 in FIG. 10 in that the encasementextends beyond lateral surfaces 186, 187 to engage the two marginalareas of transverse wall 194. By this means mechanical fixing can beproduced without additional measures, such as adhesive bonding, whichfacilitates the production of such sections. Here again, the encasementcan be made of metal or reinforced plastics and serves to increase theflexural rigidity of this profile or to improve its stickability.

FIG. 12 shows another fundamental variant of the spacer profile 200 ofthe invention, which is again in the form of a hollow profile comprisinga hollow chamber 202 surrounded by side walls 204, 205 and transversewalls 206, 207. Side walls 204, 205 and transverse walls 206, 207 areprovided with ducts 208 and the sides of transverse wall 207 areprovided with a vapor barrier layer 210 (shown diagrammatically as adot-dash line), which may optionally be combined with an inert gasbarrier layer.

Metal strips 212, 213 are inserted in side walls 204, 205 flush withtheir outer surface to serve as stiffeners for profile 200.

FIG. 13 shows an alternative embodiment to profile 200 of FIG. 12, inwhich a spacer profile 220 is again in the form of a hollow profilehaving a hollow chamber 220 surrounded by side walls 224, 225 andtransverse walls 226, 227.

The outer first transverse wall 227 is provided with a vapor barrierlayer 228 (shown diagrammatically as a dot-dash line), which mayoptionally be combined with an inert gas barrier layer.

Ducts 230 are provided in the side walls 224, 225 as well as in thetransverse walls 226, 227.

In the corner regions of profile 220 there are provided angle sections232, preferably of metal or a composite material, for the purpose ofstiffening the section 220.

FIG. 14 illustrates another variant of a spacer profile 240 of theinvention, which is likewise in the form of a hollow profile having ahollow chamber 242. Hollow chamber 242 is surrounded by side walls 244,245 and transverse walls 246, 247, these containing ducts 248. TheFigure shows no ducts 248 in the transverse wall 247, but the personskilled in the art will appreciate that ducts 248 could be accommodatedtherein when the thickness of transverse wall 247 is appropriatelydimensioned. Alternatively, of course, ducts of smaller cross-sectionalarea can be provided, and the invention is not, of course, confined tothe use of ducts of identical cross-sectional area or shape but, as theperson skilled in the art will readily appreciate, allows for the use ofarbitrary combinations and modifications within the limitations set bythe basic structure of the profile.

In contrast to the embodiments of spacer profiles discussed above,profile 240 is provided with a dovetail groove 250 on the outer surfaceof its transverse wall 247, into which a corner or straight joiner 252(indicated by dot-dash lines) can be inserted. Corner joiners serve toconnect cut-to-length frame parts of the spacer profile to each othervia a plug connector and to hold them in place, whilst straight joinersare suitable for linearly connecting lengths of spacer profile 240 toeach other so as to assemble the spacer profile frame 240.

The corner joiner 252 can be held in the dovetail groove 250 with apress fit or force fit or alternatively held in position therein byadhesive means.

A variant of the embodiment of FIG. 14 is illustrated in FIG. 15 inwhich a spacer profile 260 has a hollow chamber 262 that is surroundedby side walls 264, 265 and transverse walls 266, 267. In the transverseand side walls 264, 265, 266, 267 there are provided ducts 268 atregular intervals.

On the outer surface of the first transverse wall 267, which is adjacentto the edge region of an insulated glazing unit when assembled, thereare provided vertically projecting parallel spaced fins 270, 271extending in the longitudinal direction of the profile. These fins 270,271 define a slot 272 into which a corner joiner or straight joinerhaving the same function as that described with respect to FIG. 14 canbe used (part 274 indicated by dot-dash lines).

It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the particularfeatures described above with respect to individual embodiments can bereadily applied to other embodiments with or without modification. Inthe same way, all information given on the benefits of individualembodiments similarly applies to other embodiments employing the samefeatures of the spacer profiles even if this is not specificallymentioned in each individual case. This applies not only to thecross-section of the ducts passing right through the profiles but alsoto their advantages, and it equally applies to the passages providing ameans of communication between the hollow chambers of the individualprofiles and the space between the panes. Again, to mention yet anotherexample, this applies to the additional bulk desiccator particles withwhich the hollow chambers can be filled.

In the case of the specific spacer profiles described above that are inthe form of hollow chamber profiles, wall thicknesses of from only 1 to2 mm suffice to provide adequate stability. The volumes in the walls ofthe hollow section which are available for the accommodation ofadsorbent material are likewise adequate, so that in the case of theseembodiments also there is no need for additional filling of the hollowchambers with particles of adsorbent material, whilst the amount thereofin the walls of the hollow chamber profiles is preferably from 20 to 30wt % particularly when binder matrix materials are used which showrelatively small coefficients of permeation for water vapor, as in thecase of polypropylene, for example.

1. An insulated glazing unit comprising: a first pane of glass; a secondpane of glass parallel to and spaced apart from the first pane of glass;a spacer profile between the first and second panes of glass, the spacerprofile including a first side wall bearing against the first pane ofglass, a second side wall bearing against the second pane of glass, afirst transverse wall extending between the first and second sidewallsand positioned at the exterior edge of the insulated glazing unit, and asecond transverse wall extending between the first and second side wallsand facing the space between the panes of glass, the spacer profilecomprising a binder matrix permeable to water vapor including a bindingagent selected from the group consisting of polyamide and polypropyleneand embedded therein a particulate adsorbent material for adsorbingwater vapor.
 2. The insulating glazing unit of claim 1, wherein saidparticulate adsorbent material is selected from the group consisting ofsilica gels, aluminosilicates and mixtures thereof.
 3. The insulatingglazing unit of claim 1, wherein said particulate adsorbent material hasa micro-porous structure with pore sizes ranging from 2 to 25 angstromunits.
 4. The insulating glazing unit of claim 3, wherein saidparticulate adsorbent material has a micro-porous structure with poresizes ranging from 2 to 10 angstrom units.
 5. The insulating glazingunit of claim 1, wherein said particulate adsorbent material comprisesparticles having an average particle size in the range of 0.1 to 5 mm.6. The insulating glazing unit of claim 1, wherein the proportion ofsaid particulate adsorbent material in the total mass of said spacerprofile is from 15 to 85% by weight.
 7. The insulating glazing unit ofclaim 6, wherein the proportion of said particulate adsorbent materialin the total mass of said spacer profile is from 30 to 65% by weight. 8.The insulating glazing unit of claim 1, wherein the content of saidadsorbent material in the side walls is less than in the regions of saidfirst and second transverse walls.
 9. The insulating glazing unit ofclaim 1, wherein the spacer profile further comprises a materialselected from the group consisting of fillers, reinforcing agents,pigments and UV stabilizers embedded in the binder matrix.
 10. Theinsulating glazing unit of claim 1, wherein said binding agent has anopen-pore expanded structure.
 11. The insulating glazing unit of claim1, characterized in that said spacer comprises a vapor barrier layer.12. The insulating glazing unit of claim 1, wherein said spacercomprises an inert gas barrier layer adjacent to said first transversewall.
 13. The insulating glazing unit of claim 1, wherein said spacerprofile comprises reinforcing elements for stiffening, the reinforcingelements being selected from the group of tapes, wires, angle sections,nets, films, or fibrous bundles.
 14. The insulating glazing unit ofclaim 1, wherein said spacer profile is a solid profile.
 15. Theinsulating glazing unit of claim 1, wherein said spacer profile is ahollow profile having one or more hollow chambers extending continuouslyin the longitudinal direction.
 16. The insulating glazing unit of claim1, wherein said spacer comprises a plurality of ducts extendingcontinuously in the longitudinal direction and distributed over thecross-section of the spacer profile.
 17. The insulating glazing unit ofclaim 1, wherein said spacer contains one or more voluminous chamberssurrounded by hollow chamber walls and comprises a plurality of smallvolume ducts distributed within the hollow chamber walls.
 18. Theinsulating glazing unit of claim 1, wherein said spacer is completely orpartially encased by a material selected from the group consisting ofplastics material and a metallic material.
 19. The insulating glazingunit of claim 1, wherein said binder matrix consists predominantly ofpolypropylene and that the content of adsorbent material is from 15 to40% by weight, based on the weight of said spacer profile.
 20. Theinsulating glazing unit of claim 1, wherein at least one surface of thespacer has been processed such that particles of adsorbent materialpresent in the binder matrix are at least partially exposed at thesurface of said spacer profile.